Letter: Keep the train

Here’s our town’s Energy Park image ... kids’ imagination, play train. And here is big time railroad local heritage — the old days of our old train station. I even went off to the Army — from here to Fort Devens, etc. Yes, this place is one that kids love today. And our grown-up heritage!

Just picture this — happens over and over: preschool kids with parents playing “freight train” — their “toot-toot ...” See the giant real life train ... and Mr. Engineer waving a big “Hi” to these little kids. Such an amazing moment.

But now I hear rumor (third hand), the town Rec. Department plans to pull out our kids train and put in a no-fuss schoolyard exercise slide and swing set. You know — it’s red/yellow/blue plastic — yuck! What? Why?

The reason I hear? The town had to replace a couple boards (or four). Plastic play is supposed to get rid of vandalism, the annoyance. Wait, let’s stop and rethink. We’re not talking about a mundane blacktop parking lot. This is love, family, togetherness and little kids imagining train adventure — “All Aboard” — in this real train world.